Porsche Carrera GT

The Porsche Carrera GT, which was introduced as a 2004 model, is a low, sleek, lightweight roadster that is as beautiful to the engineer as it is to the eye. Foul weather protectio

With its V10 engine providing more than 600 horsepower and with an array of cutting edge technologies including a ceramic composite clutch and brakes beneath its carbon-reinforced body, you might wonder what improvements Porsche could possibly make to its Carrera GTsupercar for the 2005 model year.

Well, those changes are few indeed: A glass screen mounted between the supplemental safety bars, a seat-height adjustment feature and an additional seat cushion in the thigh area, the chassis number imprinted on the magnesium cover of the center console, a battery trickle-charger included as standard equipment and new color options for both the car's exterior and its leather upholstery. Those small changes are all designed to further enhance the unprecedented driving experience that the Porsche Carrera GT provides to its owners.

Beautiful Design and Engineering, and 605 Horsepower

The Porsche Carrera GT, which was introduced as a 2004 model, is a low, sleek, lightweight roadster that is as beautiful to the engineer as it is to the eye. Foul weather protection is also available in the form of two removable panels that can be stored in the front trunk.

Among the car's unique features are its 5.7-liter, 605-horsepower (SAE) V10 engine, its monocoque chassis with Porsche-patented engine and transmission mounts made of carbon-reinforced plastic and the first use of a ceramic composite clutch in a production car. The Carrera GT's aerodynamic and race-bred suspension package provides safe and stable travel at speeds of up to 205 mph (330 km/h). The Carrera GT features the extensive use of lightweight materials, such as magnesium for the car's substantial wheels and the frames of its special sport seats.

The result of such artistic and athletic equipment is a car that accelerates from a standing start to 62 mph (100 km/h) in only 3.9 seconds, reaches 100 mph (160 km/h) in less than seven seconds, 125 mph (200 km/h) in less than 10 seconds, and can achieve a top test-track speed of 205 mph (330 km/h).

Purebred Racing Engine

Porsche's development center in Weissach, Germany, built a 5.5-liter, normally aspirated V10 engine for racing, and that engine's bores have been enlarged to displace 5.7 liters in the Carrera GT. Maximum output is rated at 605 horsepower (SAE) at 8,000 rpm, with peak torque of 435 lb-ft. The engine has a very low center of gravity, a 68-degree V angle and four valves-per-cylinder heads. The engine block serves as a load-bearing part of the chassis structure, yet is so strong that there is no distortion to the cylinder bores. Using dry-sump lubrication reduces the number of engine components and seals and also helps optimize weight and reliability.

To keep the engine as short as possible, Porsche engineers decided against using cylinder liners. Instead, the cylinders are coated with Nikasil, a nickel and silicon combination coating that improves wear resistance and minimizes internal friction.

The engine has a closed-deck configuration, a principle carried over from motorsports. This closeddesk architecture enables the cylinders to be cooled by internal water chambers that directly surround the cylinders. Three front-mounted radiators and cross flow cooling ensure optimum heat transfer even under high engine loads.

The engine weighs only 472 pounds (214 kg). The block, crankshaft and camshafts are all made of light alloys. The crankshaft is designed to operate at speeds of up to 8,400 rpm and is both forged and designed for minimum mass inertia and thus offers maximum torsional stiffness. Pistons are connected to the crankshaft by titanium connecting rods that are very lightweight. The crankcase is a one-piece unit that integrates the secondary air ducts as well as the separate bearing blocks for the camshaft. The camshaft drive is a combined sprocket/chain system with rigid cup tappets that guarantee a stiff and sturdy valve drive with low masses and compact dimensions. Porsche-patented VarioCam Plus camshaft control provides the intake camshafts with infinite adjustment within a range of 40 degrees.